Protestors gather in Norristown to oppose Parkhouse sale

Cyn Johnson, left, stands next to Karen Lewis, who holds a photo of a painting of Parkhouse titled “View of the Montgomery County Almshouse Buildings” Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013. Artist and date of the painting are unknown. Photo by Adrianna Hoff/Times Herald Staff.

Wendy Wetherill proudly holds up her sign at the Protest against the Sale of Parkhouse in front of the Montgomery County Courthouse on Main Street in Norristown. Saturday, December 28, 2013. Photo by Adrianna Hoff/Times Herald Staff.

NORRISTOWN — Protestors rallied outside of the Montgomery County Courthouse Saturday in opposition to the sale of the Parkhouse geriatric center and its surrounding 220 acres of land in Upper Providence.

Upper Providence Supervisor Lisa Mossie, who has been at the forefront of opposition to the sale, said she was hoping the Montgomery County commissioners would notice the rally, cancel the sale and work out a new deal for the property.

“It’s my hope that it will change the commissioners’ minds that this is something nobody cares about. That it’s not a vocal minority. Everybody I have talked to is upset about this,” Mossie said. “My hope is that this sale is not done. It’s not finalized yet. They’ve cited that as their reason for not releasing the terms of the sale.”

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the sale of Parkhouse Oct. 17. Commissioners Chairman Josh Shapiro announced Dec. 12 that the county and Mid-Atlantic Health Care, a geriatric health care group headquartered in Maryland, had signed a purchasing agreement Dec. 9. The sale of Parkhouse is slated to be completed by Jan. 31.

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At the protest, Mossie said she understood the need to sell Parkhouse, but she did not understand the need to sell the surrounding land.

“I understand the argument of getting out of the geriatric business, but to continue to insist on including this land and calling this process transparent doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “Why can’t they alter the terms of the deal?”

Alice Lang, of Upper Providence, said she was shocked when she heard about the county’s plans to sell the land along with Parkhouse.

“I felt like we were stabbed in the back,” she said.

Monroe Johnson Jr. of Phoenixville said he was concerned the land would not be there for his children to enjoy if the sale goes through. He said he is also worried about the noise and disturbances of construction if Mid-Atlantic decides to develop the land.

In an open letter to the residents of Upper Providence, Dr. Scott Rifkin, the owner of Mid-Atlantic Health Care, said he has no plans to develop the land and wants to work with the township to keep the space open. He also wrote that he was surprised to hear there was going to be a rally against the sale.

“Our focus is on patients not development and we have no set plans for the land,” Rifkin wrote.

Rifkin wrote he hopes he can work with the township solicitor so the public may continue to use the land, although he added liability issues need to be addressed first.

Speaking by telephone Saturday from Mexico, where he in on vacation, Rifkin said Mid-Atlantic has not developed any land that it has purchased the past 10 years.

Other communities have had a similar reaction in the past when the company has bought county-owned geriatric facilities, Rifkin said.

“There were some concerns in different counties in Maryland, but it ended up working out for them,” he said.

Upper Providence supervisors recently passed an ordinance rezoning all public land in the township as open space, thus tightening restrictions on what can be done on certain pieces of land. It does not mean the land cannot be sold, however.

“What is not completed is the subdivision down Route 113. It will be on our Jan. 6 agenda,” Mossie said.

Right now, 70 acres of land across the street from Parkhouse, which serve as Upper Schuylkill Valley Park, are included in the sale. The subdivision would make that space protected land that cannot be built on.

After the purchase, Mid-Atlantic Health Care will have 18 facilities, including Parkhouse, in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.